Crane Removal May Affect GMU Area Traffic — “This Saturday, August 12, beginning at 9:00 a.m., contractors will be removing a crane from the central portion of the One University building site adjacent to the George Mason University campus…The removal will take several hours and will block the northern curb lane on University Drive just west of Route 123, near Mason’s Field House.” [The Walkinshaw Advisory]
Metro Train Operator Fired After Stranding Riders — “Metro is requiring supervisors to conduct checks on train operators working split shifts after an intoxicated operator left passengers stranded for 40 minutes last year…The commission released a report on the incident, which occurred Dec. 23 and resulted in Metro firing the operator, Metro spokeswoman Sherri Ly said.” [Washington Post]
Latest Design for Penn Daw Fire/Housing Facility Shared — “The gymnasium at Bucknell Elementary School was packed July 27 for Fairfax County’s presentation of a revised concept design for the colocated fire station, affordable housing and emergency shelter/supportive housing in Penn Daw.” Notable changes include a relocation of the affordable housing closer to Beacon Hill Road and the addition of solar power roof shingles. [On the MoVe]
Virginia Bumps Up Penalties for “Swatting” — “While it has always been a crime to intentionally provide false information to law enforcement, a new law is now in place in Virginia that includes stronger penalties for calling in fake emergencies… ‘It is a significant change,’ said Sgt. Jacob Pearce with Fairfax County Police.” [WTOP]
Tysons Area Apartment Prices on the Rise — “Those wishing to partake of the urbanizing atmosphere of Tysons and the Mosaic district around Merrifield are having to pay more for the privilege, according to new apartment-rental data. Both areas have seen year-over-year increases in median rentals even as the nation as a whole saw a contraction in costs.” [Gazette Leader]
Fairfax City Seeks Feedback on Website Update — We are updating the #FairfaxCity website — please take this short survey to help guide our efforts…The survey is open through Aug. 11. The next version of our website will be easier to navigate & tasks will be easier to accomplish. Thanks for your input!” [City of Fairfax/Twitter]
Reston Media Company at Risk of Losing Nasdaq Listing — “With its stock price floundering, Reston media analytics company Comscore Inc. (NASDAQ: SCOR) took a massive impairment charge in the second quarter that wiped out any chance of it turning a profit…Last month it received a delisting warning from Nasdaq, and the drop in its share price also prompted the company to take a non-cash $44.1 million goodwill impairment charge in the second quarter.” [Washington Business Journal]
Local Volunteer Wins FCPS Equity Award — “George Becerra was recognized as the first recipient of Fairfax County Public Schools’ Dr. Lawrence Bussey Memorial Equity Award. The award recognizes staff, students, or community members who have demonstrated significant and impactful efforts to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of students from groups who are marginalized or underserved.” [FCPS]
It’s Friday — The forecast predicts mostly sunny weather with a high near 87 degrees and a west wind of about 8 mph. In the evening, expect partly cloudy skies with a low around 69 degrees and a southeast wind at roughly 6 mph. [Weather.gov]
The largest Vietnamese heritage festival on the East Coast is elebrating its 10th anniversary this weekend.
The Plaza at Tysons Corner Center (7901 Tysons One Place) will be alight with the lively VietFest cultural celebration from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 13. Vietfest is organized by the National Organization for Vietnamese American Leadership of Greater Washington, D.C. (NOVAL-DC).
Celebrated yearly, VietFest returned last year to its largest turnout of over 30,000 attendees after taking a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, its Facebook event page says.
The free, outdoor extravaganza includes cultural performances, a lion dance, a martial arts presentation, a traditional áo dài fashion show, crawfish and pho eating competitions, local food vendors, and beauty pageants. VietFest will also host its fifth annual talent show at 2 p.m. on Saturday, where participants will showcase their talents in hopes of winning a grand prize of $1,000.
To commemorate 10 years of VietFest — from its humble origins in a George Mason University parking lot to a sprawling two-day festival in one of Virginia’s largest shopping malls — the festival will have increased programming and “more food vendors than ever before,” says Bobby Ly, director of VietFest and co-president of NOVAL-DC.
Ly noted that this year’s celebration will feature a new heritage wall filled with photos of VietFest throughout the last 10 years.
“We usually have a heritage wall that’s like 30 feet long with pictures of the Vietnamese community from 1975 to now and all their contributions to the United States,” Ly said. “But this year, our heritage wall is different. It’s going to be…all pictures of Vietfest through all the 10 years that we’ve been doing it. And for me, I’m very proud of that and I think that’s going to be the highlight.”
Ly attributes VietFest’s smashing success over the last decade to its inclusivity, saying that it “stands out” from other festivals in the area because it’s “open to all communities” to participate, even if it’s primarily known as a Vietnamese festival.
“Now going into our 10th year, it’s going very strong,” Ly said. “The whole reason why VietFest was started was to help bring the community together, not just the Vietnamese community, but all other communities…Because every time we have the festival, not only Vietnamese show up, it’s all Asians, all other communities coming out.”
Looking ahead to the weekend, Ly optimistically predicts clear skies and high turnout, reminding visitors that they can always cool off from the heat inside the mall, where VietFest-affiliated vendors will be selling snacks like popcorn.
“The weather looks like it’s going to be nice, no rain,” Ly said. “It’s going to be a little bit hot, but the area where Tysons is, the buildings give us a lot of shade, and we have a little wind, so perfect weather. I have no doubt that we’re going to have a lot of people.”
Though last year set a high bar with its record attendance, Ly is determined to surpass those numbers and continue the momentum built up from 2022.
“I’m hoping that we could do much better this year, but last year, all our vendors, they made enough food for two days, but on the first day they sold everything,” Ly said. “Because of last year, I think this year will be even better because now everybody’s hyped up, and everybody knows that there’s gonna be a lot of people, and most importantly, all of these different organizations, all of these communities are promoting VietFest as though it was their own community.”
“So, you know, I think that this year will be phenomenal, and hopefully it will be the best year ever,” Ly continued. “I mean, that would be fitting since it’s our 10-year anniversary.”
The development now under construction on Falls Church City’s former high school site has landed its first retail tenants.
Hoffman & Associates, the developer behind the nearly 10-acre West Falls neighborhood, announced yesterday (Thursday) that the restaurants SEOULSPICE, BurgerFi and Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls will all open in fall 2024, along with the Spanish immersion preschool Tierra Encantada.
“West Falls will serve as a dynamic destination and vibrant community in the heart of West Falls Church,” Hoffman & Associates President Shawn Seaman said in a press release. “Each of these new businesses will bring something unique to the neighborhood, and we look forward to sharing more additions to this community in the near future.”
Tierra Encantada will occupy 10,000 square feet of space at 7131 Magnolia Street in the development’s retail corridor, which will be in the median of a new street called West Falls Station Blvd bisecting the neighborhood.
This will be the second of 15 locations that the early childhood education provider has planned for Northern Virginia. The first school opened in Alexandria last year, and a third one has been proposed near Ballston in Arlington.
“This early education and preschool program focuses on promoting early cognitive development and respect for diversity with a fully Spanish curriculum, a play-based learning model, and daily scratch-made meals from organic ingredients,” Hoffman & Associates said.
Here’s more on the three restaurants from the press release:
SEOULSPICE, a quick service restaurant known for its Korean comfort food, plans to open a new, over 2,000-square-foot location at 150 West Falls Station Boulevard. This will be SEOULSPICE’s eighth location in the DMV, expanding further into the Northern Virginia market and reinforcing the company’s commitment to serving delicious and nutritious gluten-free Korean cuisine.
BurgerFi, a popular fast-casual burger concept, will open a new over 2,000-square-foot location at 170 West Falls Station Blvd. With over 125 restaurants domestically and internationally, BurgerFi is a chef-founded concept offering a casual dining atmosphere with award-winning American cuisine. BurgerFi uses 100% natural American Angus beef with no steroids, antibiotics, growth hormones, chemicals or additives and offers a diverse menu including their award-winning vegetarian VegeFi® Burger, Wagyu Beef, Cage-Free “Fi’ed” Chicken Tenders and Sandwiches, Fresh-Cut Fries and Beer-Battered Onion Rings, Frozen Custard Desserts, beer, wine, and more.
Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls will open at 235 West Falls Station Blvd with 1,375 square feet – its largest location yet. Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls is the largest lobster roll brand in the U.S., bringing the luxury of lobster to all at an affordable price point and casual environment. Mason’s uses simple recipes and the highest-quality lobster sustainably sourced directly from Maine.
Planned for 1.2 million square feet of construction, West Falls is the biggest development project in Falls Church’s history.
In addition to 142,100 square feet of retail, it will include about 647 apartment and condominium units, 217 units of senior housing, a 146-room hotel, 326,100 square feet of office space, about 14,000 square feet of civic space, and an 18,000-square-foot community gathering space called The Commons.
The project broke ground in May 2022, and the first buildings are on track to be finished in fall 2024, though the senior living facility may be delayed after developer Trammel Crow dropped out of that part of project.
Hoffman & Associates told the Falls Church City Council in June that the first phase is expected to be substantially complete in January 2025. That includes the hotel, a multifamily condominium building, a medical office building, two parking garages, and an apartment building with a still-unidentified grocery store.
West Falls constitutes the city’s portion of a massive effort to revitalize the 40-acre West Falls Church Transit Station Area. The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently approved plans to overhaul both the Metro station property in Idylwood and Virginia Tech’s Northern Virginia Center campus.
“This larger development is intended to add an active and pedestrian-friendly area to the vibrant neighborhood that fosters community, sustainability and innovation,” Hoffman & Associates said.
As the new school year approaches, young readers can celebrate summer reading this Sunday (August 13).
The Fairfax Library Foundation will bring a second edition of its Children’s Summer Reading Festival to the Chantilly Regional Library (4000 Stringfellow Road) from noon to 3 p.m.
Admission is free, and children and families can enjoy face painting, a bounce house, food trucks, a mini zoo and other attractions. The event doesn’t require tickets, but attendees who reserve a spot via Eventbrite can get a festival tote bag while supplies last.
In early June, Lorton Library (9520 Richmond Highway) hosted more than 1,200 attendees at the inaugural edition of the festival, according to an FLP press release. At the event, more than 240 children registered for Fairfax County Public Library’s summer reading program.
This Sunday’s date is a rescheduling — Chantilly Regional Library was originally slated to host the festival in late June. Families can also attend an outdoor screening of Frozen at the library Saturday night (Aug. 12).
Also open to adults, FCPL’s summer reading program runs through Aug. 18, and it’s still possible to register. Participating readers have already exceeded the 50,000-book goal for the community by more than 30,000 books.
Participants in the summer reading program can earn virtual badges for completing reading goals. After readers meet their goals, they can get a coupon sheet with offers from businesses and the Fairfax County Park Authority.
A critical vehicular link between Reston and the Wolf Trap area has been restored.
The new, two-lane Hunter Mill Road bridge over Colvin Run is now fully open, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced yesterday (Wednesday).
Located near Baron Cameron Avenue between Lake Fairfax Park and Colvin Run Park, the expanded bridge has one travel lane in each direction, saving drivers from the hassle and potential confusion of having to yield to oncoming traffic.
More on the project from VDOT:
The new bridge (located between the Dulles Toll Road and Baron Cameron Avenue):
- Improves traffic flow by replacing the nearly 50-year-old weight-restricted one-lane bridge that required drivers to stop if there was traffic crossing the bridge in the other direction
- Includes a median/splitter island separating the two lanes to improve safety
The Hunter Mill Road over Colvin Run Bridge Replacement project, which is now complete, also includes:
- An improved trail crossing south of the bridge
- Landscaping in the median/splitter island
- Abutments for a future trail bridge over Colvin Run (the rest of the trail bridge will be constructed by Fairfax County)
Construction on the project began approximately two years ago in August 2021. Built in 1974, the previous bridge had just one lane and was limited to carrying 10 tons at a time, even though the road was used, on average, by 8,500 vehicles per every day, as of 2019.
One lane of the new span was completed in December.
The project cost a total of $5.2 million, relying on funds from the federal, state and Fairfax County governments.
Hunter Mill Rd drivers don't need to yield to oncoming traffic at Colvin Run in #Vienna anymore – the two-lane bridge fully opened today! The now complete project also includes a raised median and an improved trail crossing south of the bridge.
Read more: https://t.co/N92AqLAo8P pic.twitter.com/yMjBU8R87H
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) August 9, 2023
A critical vehicular link between Reston and the Wolf Trap area has been restored.
The new, two-lane Hunter Mill Road bridge over Colvin Run is now fully open, the Virginia Department of Transportation announced yesterday (Wednesday).
Located near Baron Cameron Avenue between Lake Fairfax Park and Colvin Run Park, the expanded bridge has one travel lane in each direction, saving drivers from the hassle and potential confusion of having to yield to oncoming traffic.
More on the project from VDOT:
The new bridge (located between the Dulles Toll Road and Baron Cameron Avenue):
- Improves traffic flow by replacing the nearly 50-year-old weight-restricted one-lane bridge that required drivers to stop if there was traffic crossing the bridge in the other direction
- Includes a median/splitter island separating the two lanes to improve safety
The Hunter Mill Road over Colvin Run Bridge Replacement project, which is now complete, also includes:
- An improved trail crossing south of the bridge
- Landscaping in the median/splitter island
- Abutments for a future trail bridge over Colvin Run (the rest of the trail bridge will be constructed by Fairfax County)
Construction on the project began approximately two years ago in August 2021. Built in 1974, the previous bridge had just one lane and was limited to carrying 10 tons at a time, even though the road was used, on average, by 8,500 vehicles per every day, as of 2019.
One lane of the new span was completed in December.
The project cost a total of $5.2 million, relying on funds from the federal, state and Fairfax County governments.
Hunter Mill Rd drivers don't need to yield to oncoming traffic at Colvin Run in #Vienna anymore – the two-lane bridge fully opened today! The now complete project also includes a raised median and an improved trail crossing south of the bridge.
Read more: https://t.co/N92AqLAo8P pic.twitter.com/yMjBU8R87H
— VDOT Northern VA (@VaDOTNOVA) August 9, 2023
The highly anticipated Lego Discovery Center has launched in Springfield, though it’ll be a few more days before the brick-building mecca officially welcomes the general public.
With a ribbon cut by scissors made out of Lego bricks and a burst of confetti, the 32,000-square-foot attraction opened its doors at Springfield Town Center (6563 Springfield Mall, Suite 12004) around 11 a.m. yesterday to dozens of kids, parents and other adults who snagged advance tickets.
A prebooked ticket is required for admission until the official opening on Monday, Aug. 14.
Under construction since December, the discovery center features a variety of play and building areas, a Mini World with models constructed from more than 1.5 million bricks, a 4D theater, a climbing gym, an indoor train ride and a cafe. There’s also a store with exclusive sets and a customize-a-figure station, among other offerings, that can be accessed separately.
“It’s been such a long time coming,” said Andrew Litterst, the D.C. area’s Master Model Builder. “I was here at the Springfield Town Center back in February, competing for my job title. Six months later, here we are. We’re very excited to finally be at this point. It’s an amazing attraction, and I can’t wait to get inside and work with people.”
A former environmental sciences teacher at Marshall High School, Litterst was anointed master builder for Lego’s first discovery center in the D.C. area after winning a Brick Factor competition where he raced to build models inspired by different themes, like the Super Bowl or space, WAMU reported at the time.
As master builder, he serves as a spokesperson for the center, and he’s responsible for building and maintaining its many Lego models. His creations range in scale from dragons with movable wings to replicas of D.C. landmarks, such as the Capitol and a Nationals Park with an actual view of the National Mall.
Given his background as an educator, perhaps it’s not surprising that Litterst is especially looking forward to delivering the center’s workshops and building challenges, which invite kids to create models in a set amount of time.
“Lego is the embodiment of the scientific method,” Litterst said. “Whatever you’re trying to build, that’s your problem. That’s the question you’re trying to answer, and how you go about building that, that’s kind of the rest of that discovery process. So, I’m going to try building something this way. Oh, that doesn’t look quite right. Let’s tear it down and try a different way, and so, it’s a learning process through trial and error and it’s just a great group activity as well.”
Franconia District Supervisor Rodney Lusk says the combination of entertainment and education makes the Lego Discovery Center a valuable addition to Springfield, particularly at a town center seeking to become a destination for more than just shopping.
Despite a major renovation and rebranding from its original name of Springfield Mall, Springfield Town Center remains dominated by retail and has seen little progress over the past decade toward fulfilling Fairfax County’s vision of accessible, mixed-use development.
An economic market study released last year found that the town center drove an uptick in retail vacancies in Springfield during the pandemic, but the 2-million-square-foot area is “well positioned” to support growth in other sectors, including 800 to 1,200 multifamily residential units and 100,000 to 200,000 square feet of office.
Retail will still be a key component of the town center, whose incoming tenants include the department clothing stores Burlington and Daily Thread. But the county and property owner PREIT hope to balance it out with housing and other types of commercial development.
In addition to Lego, the town center is in line to get a five-story hotel and a 460-unit residential building called the Hanover — the first multifamily housing approved in Springfield since 2001.
“We’re now exercising the original vision for the Springfield Town Center,” Lusk said. “We’re building those amenities that are going to help create the community of the future, so we’re excited about that.”
At yesterday’s grand opening, though, the Lego Discovery Center delivered some more immediate rewards to friends Adam Smith and Jayson Brown, who eagerly presented a pair of “perfect” cars that he had constructed.
Both boys declared the facility “good” after exploring a pyramid, volcano and Jungle Jump slide in the open “Build Adventures” zone.
Adam’s mom, Jamie Davis Smith, says it took about 40 minutes to travel from their home, but the family is happy to have a Lego Discovery Center closer than the one they previously visited in Philadelphia, where her parents live.
“He loves Legos, and they have a lot of things here you can’t do at home, like the tracks he can race cars down and all the different zones,” Davis Smith said. “So, it adds a different layer to building with LEGOS and playing with them. I think we’ll come back a lot probably.”
Confusing I-66 Signs Will Be Fixed, VDOT Says — “The Virginia Department of Transportation is replacing a sign on Interstate 66 that says to go west to get to D.C., which is to the east. On a busy stretch of I-66 at Nutley Street in Vienna, there’s a sign for I-66 East to Washington, but just in front of it, there’s a sign for I-66 West to Washington.” [NBC4]
Woman Arrested for Fairfax Pool Hall Fight — “A 19-year-old Fairfax woman faces multiple charges, including the malicious wounding of a police officer, following an altercation that took place early Friday morning a Fairfax City pool hall, according to police. Officers responded around 1:30 a.m, to Revolution Dart and Billiards at 9687 Fairfax Blvd. for the report of a patron refusing to leave.” [Patch]
Police Issue Almost 25K Citations During Safety Campaign — “The Fairfax County Police Department has successfully wrapped up their 2023 ‘Road Shark’ campaign, issuing close to 25,000 citations and warnings to dangerous drivers on Fairfax County roadways.” The campaign also “resulted in hundreds of Driving While Intoxicated arrests.” [FCPD]
Dominion Square Development Secures More Financing — “The first all-affordable housing development in Tysons has secured new pieces of its financing puzzle and is on track to break ground late this year…[Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing] said it hasn’t yet finalized construction financing, but is working with its lenders and tax credit investor funders, hoping to raise the needed funds by the end of 2023″ [Bisnow]
N. Va. Schools Nervous About State Budget Negotiations — “The new school year starts in just a few weeks in Northern Virginia. But with General assembly negotiations ongoing over how to spend the state budget surplus, local schools are preparing to open their doors without hoped-for state support.” [DCist]
McLean “Castle” Ready for Housing Market — “A Tuscan-style estate in McLean will hit the market later this month full of regal vibes, all of which could be yours for…$22 million. When it goes for sale, it’ll be the second-highest property currently listed in McLean, according to Redfin.” [Washingtonian]
Park Authority Reveals Selfie Contest Winners — “At the culmination of National Park and Recreation Month, many Fairfax County Park-goers participated in a selfie photo contest hosted by the Fairfax County Park Authority…The Park Authority is happy to congratulate the following contest winners in their respective categories.” [FCPA]
It’s Thursday — Expect showers and potential thunderstorms throughout the day, with highs near 78 degrees. Precipitation chances peak at 80%, with new rainfall amounts of a quarter to half an inch possible. At night, precipitation chances drop to 30%. The sky will gradually clear, reaching a low of around 66 degrees. [Weather.gov]
(Updated at 1:05 p.m. on 8/10/2023) It’s time to start practicing your best modeling poses.
The online fashion retailer Rent the Runway will sashay into Tysons Corner Center with a pop-up store this September. The business previously visited the mall for 10 days in January 2020.
Set to run from Sept. 1-25, the pop-up sample sale will have “pre-loved” designer clothing, handbags and other items from dozens of top brands — all for sale at a 90% discount from their original retail prices.
“With hundreds of styles to choose from, there’s something for everyone & every occasion,” Tysons Corner Center said in a media alert.
The sale will be located next to Windsor on the mall’s first floor near Fashion Court, between Bloomingdale’s and Nordstrom.
Launched in 2009, Rent the Runway aimed to offer a more affordable and sustainable approach to fashion with a “Closet in the Cloud” that provides designer brands for rent and resale.
The upcoming Tysons sale will have more than 50 brands represented, including:
Staud
Anine Bing
Jason Wu
Veronica Beard
Club Monaco
For Love and Lemons
Kate Spade New York
Rails
Show Me Your Mumu
Maje
Diane von Furstenberg
Scotch & Soda
PAIGE
Victoria Victoria Beckham
Interested customers can sign up for alerts and reminders about the sale through Eventbrite, though a ticket won’t guarantee admission.
The sample sale will be open during Tysons Corner Center’s retail operating hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Katie Cristol wants to help Tysons become what the community imagines it could be.
Since taking over as the Tysons Community Alliance’s first permanent CEO on July 5, Cristol has been busy overseeing the creation of a Tysons strategic plan to identify priorities and needs for the 2,100-acre area envisioned by Fairfax County as an urban downtown where “people live, work and play.”
While a final report isn’t expected until November, the word “connected” keeps popping up in Cristol’s mind when she considers what it’ll take to turn Tysons into the vibrant, accessible and inclusive community that the TCA is tasked with manifesting and marketing.
“There are so many assets in Tysons, and I think one of our biggest opportunities is to create a sense of place,” Cristol told FFXnow in an interview last month. “It’s not just disconnected neighborhoods, but it is a downtown, and so, that absolutely requires physical connectivity…It also requires a sort of emotional connectivity, people really seeing themselves as being part of a broader community.”
From identifying gaps in the sidewalk network to promoting local events, building connections is essentially the core mission of the TCA, a community improvement organization that’s funded by but operates independently from the county.
Tysons booster by day, Arlingtonian by night
On a more personal level for Cristol, building connections also means networking, as she adjusts to a new working environment after serving as chair of the Arlington County Board for almost eight years.
She knows some Tysons residents may be wary of her ties to Arlington — and her continued residency there, which was acknowledged in a May 2 message saying she’ll “keep the title I’ve always valued most: Arlingtonian.”
However, after getting involved in the Tysons Partnership, the TCA’s predecessor, Cristol says she was drawn to the opportunity to continue working on issues like housing, transit and land use in an organization intended to bridge divides between the public and private sectors and the community.
“I believe in the region and I think that we are all interconnected,” Cristol said. “In many ways, I am going to look like a lot of people in Tysons, who spend their day there, working, contributing to the sort of overall return of employment…enjoying the coffee shops and the diners, and really thinking a lot about the space around me, even though I may sleep somewhere else in the region at night.”
Lessons from one of the defining initiatives of Cristol’s tenure in Arlington — the contentious Missing Middle zoning overhaul — could carry over to Tysons, even if the goal of eliminating single-family-only zoning isn’t applicable to an area where 82% of the housing is multifamily, per a market study released last week.
Like Arlington, though, Tysons is grappling with an insufficient supply of housing for its growing population and ever-rising real estate costs that could keep out low-income households and even the middle-class, white-collar workers sought by many employers, Cristol observed.
According to the market study, the affordable housing that exists in Tysons is mostly aimed at people earning 80 to 120% of the area median income, which is $105,000 for a single-person household. In addition, for-sale units make up just 38% of the overall stock and are concentrated at the edges of the urban district.
“When you talk to people about their experiences, the number one thing is I can’t afford to buy here,” Cristol said. “I don’t want to rent until I’m 50. I don’t want to have a roommate until I’m 35…The need for ownership housing stock in particular, but really a…rental [market] as well for people in that kind of middle-income band is a really interesting lesson from the Missing Middle that I think is relevant here in Tysons too.”
“We’re building something really exciting here”
While the TCA can’t implement policy, it can advocate for changes and share the different stories of residents, businesses, the county government, nonprofits and others with a stake in Tysons, according to Cristol.
For example, the TCA could organize a traffic safety campaign like the People Before Cars Coalition that the National Landing Business Improvement District in Arlington created to build support for improvements on Route 1.
“That’s really powerful, when you have those kind of background organizations that can say we’ve helped sort through some of these divergent perspectives and really can speak with some authenticity on the part of the community about what’s needed here,” Cristol said.
To get a more complete understanding of the Tysons community is looking for, the TCA is conducting surveys on topics like transportation, office and the workforce, and residential development as part of its strategic planning process.
The alliance is also developing a software system for communicating with residents and workers, whether to advertise upcoming events or gather feedback for future research efforts, according to Cristol.
As she settles into her new role at the TCA, Cristol says she’s excited to recruit others to the cause of championing Tysons. An initial budget plan approved by the board on June 14 funds 14 staff positions, including directors for each of the organization’s priorities of marketing, transportation, placemaking and research.
“I think we’re building something really exciting here in Tysons,” Cristol said. “And I hope that we can make this organization itself a model of Tysons being a fantastic destination for creative people who are passionate about community to come work.”
